Angel of the Ocean
by ThePathUntaken
Summary: In times of old, a series of stories was written. Arabian Nights, it was titled. Everyone knew it was fiction, or so they thought. After all, legends are born from truth, and Nerida Aberdeen is about to find out exactly how real the legends are...
1. Her Name is Nerida

Some people joke about their weird friends being dropped on their heads as kids and others joke about themselves being dropped on their heads.

Nerida Aberdeen was neither, but the rumor still went around.

She was a rather cute little girl, for a ten year old, and she looked pretty normal, for all intents and purposes. She had pale skin with rosy cheeks, long golden blonde hair, and deep blue eyes. She liked wearing skirts and dresses, the color purple, reading books, telling stories, and anything else that had to do with art.

Nerida heard all the whispers that people would throw her way. She saw all the sympathetic looks most adults gave her parents. All the pitying looks toward herself. She knew what those looks meant. People were sorry that she saw things that 'weren't there'. She saw things that no one else could; things that 'didn't exist'.

They all told her that butterflies didn't talk to people. And the butterflies certainly didn't send images into your head of what they looked like when they were 'alive'.

Most people thought it was a mental disorder, but no amount of prescription drugs or therapy did anything to help, so her peers would spread rumors that she really _was_ dropped on her head as an infant. In fact, when Nerida was younger, she thought it was all _normal_. She thought the little white butterflies that formed other people were normal.

She didn't know any better. It was natural. She was just herself. She was just trying to make friends. But the whispers continued- they got louder and louder.

"Don't play with her, she's weird."

"Look at her; she's just sitting there, talking to an empty space."

"I feel so sorry for her family; it must be so hard to watch her go through this."

"Hey, think if she sees one more fairy, they'll haul her off to the loony bin?"

"Yeah, I hear the freak show is missing a member."

"Hi, there!"

"I wonder what she thinks she'll be when she grows up."

"I said, 'Hi, there'!"

"Oh, I know! She'll be a princess!"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, and what about her prince? Is he gonna be 'the handsomest of them all'?"

"Hah, no way. Her prince is a FROG!"

"HEY I AM TRYING TO SAY HERRO TO YOU AND THE REAST YOU COULD DO IS SAY HERRO BACK BECAUSE THAT THE PORITE THING TO DO WHEN SOMEONE GREET YOU!" A thick accent suddenly screeched.

Nerida fell off of her spot on the park bench, eyes wide and glasses teetering off her nose. She looked up in shock and awe to the person who dared say hello to the freaky girl who talks to air.

It was a boy; a rather pretty boy, too, like one that would come out of a fairy tale. He had distinctly Asian features, from his short, shaggy hair to his dark brown eyes. His hair was so black, it almost looked blue. He wore a pair of khaki shorts and a dark blue top with an orange star on the front and a pair of sneakers and he was smiling. He was smiling at her.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean scare you. I trying make sure you hear me." He offered his hand to her. "Need hand?" Shell-shocked, Nerida grabbed the offered appendage, and the surprisingly strong boy pulled her upright.

"I'm Isuzu Kurotaka! I am twelve. I moved from Japan. Not good with language yet, but will soon! You are Nerida. Sit in front of me. Like your drawings." Nerida glanced at the strange boy from beneath her long bangs.

"You… saw them?" She asked timidly, afraid he would just laugh and say he was lying like other kids before him. But she saw those butterflies again, and they danced around this strange boy, as if saying she could trust him. And the sincerity he held in his eyes was so real. He grinned wider.

"Oh, yes! You are quite…" He trailed off, looking off to the side a bit, a puzzled expression etching his features. Nerida tilted her head.

"Good?" She offered, full of hope. Isuzu pointed at her with an excited expression on his face.

"Yes! That is word! Learning to word is hard." He put his hands on his hips and nodded twice, humming in satisfaction. "Can I see more?" He asked shyly, rubbing the toe of his sneaker into the grass. Nerida grinned. She had never had a living friend before. She turned to her bag and grabbed her sketchbook, sitting back onto the bench. Isuzu sat next to her as she told him all about her drawings in the simplest words possible.

The strange glowing butterflies kept coming around to tell Nida their stories, so she had come up with a solution to remembering them all without being labeled clinically insane and chucked into the nearest asylum; she wrote and painted. The stories she heard from the butterflies being the muses for her novels and paintings, and Isuzu would often act as her male model when she needed to get a pose right.

She and Isuzu grew close, like a brother and sister. They were truly the closest of friends; coming up with nicknames for each other- Nida-rin or Sweetie and Suzu-rin, Suzy, or Boo, respectively-, sharing their closest secrets, and doing almost literally everything together. Many people thought they would become a couple until Suzu finally came out as pansexual, though having more of a preference toward men.

When Nerida confided in Isuzu about her powers, he confided in her about his orientation. Both were pleased to know that the other still cared and respected them.

Isuzu was there for Nida when her parents neglected her or tried to take her to more mental specialists, and Nida was there for Isuzu when his family harped on him for preferring men to women, and set him up on blind dates and marriage meetings. They were each other's solace, their comfort, their protection.

Isuzu and the butterflies were all Nida ever needed.

(((12 Years Later)))

"I don't know, Suzy," Twenty -two-year-old Nerida Aberdeen said to her best friend, twenty-four-year-old Isuzu Kurotaka. She sat on the tan sofa in front of the TV and glanced out the window, gazing at the bright orange and pink sunset. "Living people just don't do it for me._ Regular people_ don't do it for me. You of all people know that." The boy on the floor rolled onto his stomach, shaking his black fringe from his dark eyes.

"Nida, sweetie," Suzu cooed, tugging at her long blonde ponytail. "You are a twenty-two-year-old virgin. You seriously need a man."

The pair had grown up together, tighter than the day they first met. With Suzu in medical school and Nida studying Fine Arts in college, they decided to break free from their childhood prisons and share a house together with Suzu's Medical Service Dog, a Shiba Inu named Momo, and Nida's one-eyed black cat, Sebastian. The top half of the house was where they lived, and the bottom half served as Nida's art studio.

But years of being subjected to tests and treatments for a mental disorder she never had had taken a toll on Nida.

The originally bright eyed and bushy tailed chatterbox had become a recluse, speaking no more than was necessary to no one but Suzu and the butterflies.

Nida sat up straight; a butterfly had come through the window and began to flutter around her person. She held out her index finger for it to land so she could hear it properly.

"Hello, my friend. What is it that you desire from me?" She whispered fondly to the glowing creature. Isuzu gazed at her from the corner of his eye, his body still and silent to allow Nida and the spirit to converse in peace. Nida's face melted into a look of pure sadness, but she smiled anyway.

"I understand. It was very nice to see you again. You must have come a long way to see me for this request. I admit, it will be difficult, but I will see what I can do." Silence ensued again, and the spirit lifted itself from her finger and circled her head once, thanking her, before it left. Nida sighed deeply.

"Was it him again?" Isuzu asked after a few moments of silence. Nida nodded.

"He came to me with a strange request; he wants me to paint a family portrait of him, his wife, and their son." Isuzu turned to face her with a deadpanned expression on his face.

"But… Hasn't this guy been dead for centuries?" Nida nodded, crossing her arms and cocking a brow.

"Yes, but he was rather insistent. He said he wants me to give it to his son." Isuzu sat up and whirled on her.

"No way! That's impossible! There is no way in hell that that kid is still alive! Nida, you don't have to do it!" Nida stood from her place on the sofa.

"Well, even if it is impossible, I am in the mood for some art. And who knows? It might become my muse. Plus I'm sure he would appreciate being able to come over and look at it for a while." With that, she walked down the stairs and into her studio. She peeked back out the door to Suzu.

"Doesn't your internship shift at the hospital start soon?" She drawled,

It was a rather large space. Plenty of room for Nida to organize all of her paints by type, canvases by size, sculptures from pottery, and complete from incomplete. At least, that's what three-quarters of the room was dedicated to. The other quarter had a small mattress for when Nida worked nonstop on a project; oftentimes, when she did that, she would forget to eat and sleep, so Ren put the mattress down there so she could catch up on sleep if she needed to. On one wall was a large bookshelf that Nida usually used for inspiration. Other times, it seemed appropriate for her to just take a break from all the art and just sit down to read a good book.

Flipping on the lights, she picked up a blank canvas and set it on the easel. She grabbed her pencils and set to work on sketching the outline for her newest project. Stroke by stroke, her cerulean gaze never left the canvas. Each swipe of her pencils formed the face of a handsome man, a lovely woman, and a young child. Nida's eyes narrowed in concentration, remembering the man's tragic story.

He was a fisherman who lived in a poor village on the coast of a country that was almost constantly at war with its neighbor. He was the only survivor of a terrible and bloody battle, escaping unscathed, save his left leg from the knee down. He was a war hero who was granted many, many riches upon his country's victory in the war; riches he refused in order to go back to his peaceful life of fishing and living with his wife and son. He didn't want riches. He didn't need them. He didn't even like the way the country was headed, what with all the reliance of income from war. He instead wished to focus on what he could. He had his family and he had his boat. That was all he needed.

His son was his most valued treasure, next to his wife. That little toddler seemed to know just the right thing to do, like he could choose the right fate at any given time. He was a good little boy, who wanted nothing more than to assist his amputee father, and the man knew his son was destined for great things; maybe he would even change the world! So he raised his son to be a good man; never take more than needed, always follow a moral code.

Two years later, another war came. And he had nothing to give to the cause.

This caused animosity amongst his fellow countrymen, who labeled him and his family expatriates. The small family was ostracized even in their own village. But the man did not care, for he had his wife and son. That was all that mattered to him, though his wife stressed over his aloofness to the entire situation.

In the midst of it all, his family sheltered an injured man, later revealing himself to being a spy for the enemy country after kidnapping the man's son in order to escape. Though no one but the man and his wife cared at all. The rest of the village looked on, not really caring that the son of an expatriate was going to be killed.

The man begged the spy to release his son, claiming that he faced an easier punishment if he gave up. The spy refused, replying that he was not an expatriate to his country and touched the man's son in the mouth lightly with his dagger.

The man used all his strength to stab the spy in the gut, saving his young son. Soldiers arrived, collecting the body and arresting the man; since he sheltered the spy, they needed to know that he was not working for the country against their empire.

He was tortured long and hard for days before it was decided he was innocent, but that was not the end of his suffering. The punishment for aiding a criminal was to be deployed to the front lines.

When the day came for him to head into war, he was so weak with pain and blood loss he could hardly walk. The fact that he only had one leg made his balance even worse, but that did not stop the soldiers from retaliating to his rudeness. He saw his wife and son watching with tears trailing down their faces. The rest of the village folk turned to him, scowls etching their faces as they demanded for the expatriate to leave.

The man's young son tried to make them stop yelling at him; his father had saved them, so why didn't they care? He was too young to understand at the time. The villagers began to yell at the boy, and the man shouted for them to stop.

"Don't lay a hand on my son or my family," He had growled harshly, turning to look at the sorry villagers.

"Listen up!" He called to them. "From now on, I will be going to war. What you are all so worked up over; have such a zeal for, is this war. But what kind of thing is war, exactly? Remember this well… Look! THIS RIGHT HERE, THIS IS WAR!" He tore off his clothes, the tattered cloth revealing something horrid.

Scars of epic proportions littered his body. Enormous, scars from battle. That was what war meant in his time. An eerie, uncomfortable silence fell over the crowd.

"This body that's so hard to look at and covered in scars is a product of war," He declared. "Now I ask everyone; what has war done for you? Is it because, thanks to this war, this country has flourished? Or that you've received money for everyday novelties? OPEN YOUR EYES! That money wasn't simply won over from a country we invaded! IT'S DECEPTION! In the shadows, how many thousands of people have been hurt or cried or even died?! What about your struggles now?! Your tools for work, along with your boats, have been taken. Your money, your food, everything is now the government's. DON'T YOU THINK IT STRANGE?! Is war… really such a great thing?" He trailed off, grasping the cloth above his severed leg.

"My body became like this because of the war. That's why I've kept my family _away_ from the war. Being labeled an expatriate, or being beaten until I cough blood, I'VE SWORN THAT I WOULD RISK MY LIFE TO PROTECT MY FAMILY!" He was silent for a moment. Then he gestured to the villagers.

"What about you?" He asked them quietly. The villagers hung their heads in shame. The man gazed at them with sad eyes.

"I see." He whispered, disappointed. The soldiers who were escorting him broke out of their shock, and beat him as they tied him up, shouting obscenities at him. As he was led away, bound by ropes, he spoke to his beloved son one last time.

"Fight as a man to protect those precious to you," He told him. "I'm counting on you to look after your mother." He finished with a smile. With that, he was sent to the war where he died an unofficially honorable death.

Nida's hands stopped moving, and she stood, backing up to observe the sketch.

This was the family of that man; a man who Nida felt was one of her biggest heroes.

This was Badr of Parthevia.

Badr was actually the first spirit Nida remembered making contact with. He had been wandering around when he stopped to sit under a tree in the local park. Nida, then age 9, had been playing with her ball not too far away. When she lost her grip on the ball, it rolled over to Badr's feet. She stared at him for a while, and he stared back. Nida picked up her ball and plopped down next to the surprised spirit. She began to talk to him, asking who he was, where he was from, and why he was dressed like he was. She never mentioned his missing leg, no matter how much she wanted to ask. They were friends ever since.

**_"Little one, why do you not ask about my leg?"_** He had asked her one day while her parents were out. Nida was sitting at the living room table, coloring with her crayons. Nida had simply smiled.

_"I don't wanna make you remember bad stuff, so when you wanna tell me, then I'll listen!"_

A butterfly fluttered around the sketch. Nida smiled at it.

"Back so soon, Mr. Badr? I thought you would be longer. Hey, do you like it so far?" She asked, gesturing to the sketch. The butterfly- rather, the spirit of Badr, fluttered happily. Nida giggled, happy that he was so pleased.

"Okay, let me just finish the outline so I can start filling it in later," Nida said as she picked up a thin brush and multiple shades of gray and black paint. With each careful stroke the painting seemed to suddenly take shape. When she finished, Nida set down the brush and held out her hand so the spirit could rest its tired wings.

**_"You know, you would make a pretty nice wife." _**Badr's rich, baritone voice said to her. Nida giggled lightly.

"Certainly not for you; Miss Ezra would have my head, I believe." Badr let out a deep chuckle.

**_"Haha, not for me, little angel. For my son. The two of you would really make a nice pair. You both have much in common."_** Nida twitched. Now even the _dead_ people were taking an interest in her non-existent love life.

"Speaking of which, are you ever going to tell me his name? It's going to be hard enough to find him without knowing where he is."

**_"You already know his name,"_** Badr answered as he fluttered over to Nida's bookshelf. He landed on Nida's favorite book; _A Thousand and One Nights_, or as some would call it, _Arabian Nights_. Nida climbed over her mattress and pulled out the book.

"I remember reading this with Suzu when he was still learning how to speak and read in English…" Nida murmured to herself, a small grin gracing her lips. She hugged the book to her chest and lay down.

"You know which one is my favorite, Badr?" She asked the spirit as she yawned. "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor." Badr's butterfly flickered in response as Nida fell asleep. He knew that she would enjoy the adventure awaiting her. More butterflies glided in, covering the sleeping girl in a warm glow as she slept on, blissfully unaware of what was to come.

((()))

It was cold; colder than it was when she went to bed last night. It almost felt like she was lying on ice under the winter moon.

'Is it really morning already? It's still so dark…'

She felt a poking sensation on her upper arm, so she swatted at whatever it was. The poking stopped, so she tried to go back to sleep. But the poking resumed shortly after, and she could faintly hear someone speaking. Huh? Who is that and why were they in her room? Was it Suzu? She opened her eyes to see… nothing. Nothing was there. She looked around and saw that she wasn't in her room; instead, she was surrounded by a vast ocean of desert sand and nothing else. She blinked, wondering how in the world she had gotten there.

A young boy with blue eyes and matching hair in a braid was sitting next to her. She stared for a minute.

"Good morning, Aladdin!" She smiled lightly.

"How did you know my name, Miss…?" He asked, trailing off because he didn't know her name. "

"I'm Nida… And I know it because…" Nida trailed off, wondering if she should tell him. Almost anyone else she told dubbed her as crazy and left her alone.

"Because?" He coaxed. Nida shifted, nervous. The butterflies were there again and, just like when she first met Suzu, they fluttered around the two, letting her know she could trust this small boy.

"The butterflies told me."

Author's Note; I know I shouldn't be writing another story, but the muse just came to me in my sleep one night and I woke up with the urge to write this.

Oddly enough, I wrote this while listening to a male cover of Timber, by Ke$ha, on a loop. I don't get it either, but it kinda suits Nida.

UPDATE: I fixed a few things; A little grammar and spelling issues here and there, plus the fact that Morgiana wasn't supposed to appear yet. Still not quite sure how what happened… And I had to change Ren to Isuzu, mainly because it was confusing me with the Ren family and my baby Ren… Yeah, it got a little weird when I started really plotting the future.

Heh… plotting…


	2. His Name is Isuzu

I forgot to do a disclaimer last chapter, but fear not! *Platform rises and spotlights shine* I do not own Mag; The Labyrinth of Magic, Magi; The Kingdom of Magic, or The Adventures of Sinbad!

However, the United States copyright law states that so long as my fanfiction falls under Fair Use, I cannot be sued. In other words, so long as I do not make a profit off of my stories, publish them on print, or claim all the characters as my own, and since the content of my fan fiction holds different content from the original story, I'm safe.

I do claim the rights to Nerida Aberdeen and her likeness, Isuzu Kurotaka and his likeness, and their pets, Momo and Sebastian.

I also claim that any similarities, be it name, personality, or appearance, to any other character or living human is completely coincidental. I literally came up with these characters in my sleep, woke up with a muse guiding my fingertips, and this was the result.

On with the story, okay?

((()))

"The butterflies told me." Nida whispered, looking down to the side. She hugged her arms tightly, both from cold and from fear of rejection. Trying to avoid Aladdin's eyes, Nida studied her surroundings more.

They were in the middle of a desert at night. The moon and stars glistened in the dark sky, illuminating the vast sandy desert in a soft, comforting glow. Unfortunately, the desert gets cold at night, and Nida was only wearing a purple tank top, black shorts, and knee-high leather boots. And it was cold. There were palm trees every so often, which Nida found nice. But it was cold.

Nida + Cold = Hibernating Cranky-Pants.

She grabbed around for her blankets, rolled into an odd human-cocoon-thing, and 'inch wormed' her way to her pillow. Only then did she realize that her bed came with her. She wondered why that happened, but didn't muse on it for long. She heard Aladdin speaking to her again.

"Miss Nida? You can see them too?" Nida poked her head out of the top of her cocoon.

"See what?" She questioned cautiously. Aladdin pointed to the butterflies surrounding them.

"You can see them, can't you?" he smiled. Nida's eyes widened. She struggled out of her cocoon and, when she got her arms free, grabbed Aladdin by the shoulders.

"You mean you can see them, as well?!" Nida cried, close to tears. "I'm not insane? My imagination isn't overactive? They really, truly exist?!" When Aladdin nodded, Nida released her tears.

So long had she been told she was crazy. She had been put down, forced medicine, and ridiculed and ostracized for talking to them. Only her beloved grandparents on her father's side and Isuzu, who came from a family of shrine keepers, believed her. She was so happy. She pulled Aladdin onto her lap and into a hug, crying out of happiness.

"I'm so happy!" She sobbed. "I have never met anyone else who could see them! Nobody believed me when I mentioned them! And you can see them!" Her sobbing halted when she felt something odd. Something was moving between her breasts. She looked down to see Aladdin motor-boating her. Nida, as a woman, did what any other woman would do.

She whacked him upside the head. Aladdin shrieked and held his new bump.

"OUCH! Big sister, what was that for?!" He whined, rubbing the "triple-decker ice cream scoop" on the top of his head.

"Learn to read the mood," Was all she said as she rolled back into her cocoon and lay back down on her bed. Aladdin pouted, sitting idly at the edge of the bed. A few minutes passed and He felt the bed shift slightly. He turned to see Nida facing him, her blanket cocoon open.

"You need sleep, too." She mumbled drowsily, pulling Aladdin into her cocoon and wrapping them back up. "Can you not sleep?" Aladdin sighed.

"I guess I'm a little worried…" he muttered, wondering if he should let his burden out onto this nice big sister who seemed to have enough problems. But the butterflies knew differently. They flitted around her, letting Aladdin know that she could handle it. And so he told her.

"See, I've never been outside before," He began, glancing at Nida to see her reaction. At her silent nod, be continued. "I lived in the Room of Fortitude with my friend, Ugo. But not too long ago, Ugo said it was okay for us to leave, and we did; though Ugo's head wasn't so lucky, so when I summon him, his head is left behind. Anyway, Ugo said that I have to go on a journey and look for something. Things like lamps and musical instruments like this flute! That's how I summon Ugo. Hey, do you want to meet him?" Aladdin shot up and blew into the flute. A giant, muscular blue body swiftly formed out of the blue mist that appeared from the flute, and just like Aladdin had mentioned, there was no head. In place of the head was the flute he was summoned from.

Nida simply stared at the creature, seemingly unimpressed. Though not wanting to be rude, she introduced herself to him.

"Hi," Was her simple greeting. Aladdin waved cheerfully at the giant.

"Hey, Ugo! I wanted to introduce you to my new friend! This is Nida. She's not from here." Ugo, sitting in seiza position, moved his hands in an odd fashion and flew back into the flute. A few moments later, he came back out with a necklace that he promptly handed over to Nida. Making a few more hand movements, the blue giant waved shakily, turning very red all over, and shot back into the flute. Well. That was unusual, though Nida had honestly seen stranger. Aladdin giggled.

"Ah, I forgot that Ugo's really shy around women; especially the pretty ones!" Nida blushed at that. "Though I wonder what it is that he gave you…?" Nida looked at the necklace. It was a pretty sliver in color, with what appeared to be pearls, diamonds, and sapphires embedded into it. Clasping it around her neck, she found it fit perfectly.

"No matter, Aladdin; it's late, and the sun will rise soon. We should get some rest." Aladdin nodded, and curled back up with Nida in her bed, and the pair fell asleep.

The next morning, Nida woke up to being motor-boated again. This time, she shoved Aladdin out of the bed and into the sand.

"Big sister Nida, that hurt!"

/

Aladdin and Nida walked hand in hand in the desert, quickly realizing that without food and water, they were screwed-and not in the good way.

It had been a few days since the two met, and the two had all but officially adopted each other as brother and sister. Nida had discovered that dragging her mattress across the desert was hard, but it had its benefits: the two had a place to sleep, and her mattress had a bunch of surprises inside. She told Aladdin as much, but she never did tell him what she found…

But here they were, out in the middle of the desert, with no rations or supplies, save for the mattress tied to Nida's waist and the inedible things in it.

"This is the way the world ends," Nida sang mournfully, dragging the exhausted Aladdin by the hand as he lay limply in the sand, creating a small trail in the gritty soil next to the mattress trail. "This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but from_** fucking starvation and dehydration**_!" The spirit of Badr fluttered up to Nida and landed on her forehead.

"_**You can do it, Little Angel. We're all here with you." **_He piped, trying to cheer her up. Nida glared up at him.

"But Badr, it's hooooooooot!" She whined, pulling on the sweaty tank top with her free hand for emphasis. Badr's butterfly sweat dropped at her antics. Nida looked forward, and her eyes lit up.

"Aladdin! Aladdin, wake up! We're saved!" Nida shouted, shaking her tiny friend by the shoulders. Aladdin opened his eyes weakly, squinting when the bright sun hit his eyes.

"Hur… Ray…!" He exclaimed weakly, raising his arms in elation. The silly pair ran over to the group of men sitting in the desert.

"Help us, mister…" Aladdin muttered pathetically, looking like he was about to topple over from exhaustion. "We need water… And food…" Nida chose then to topple over into the sand. The poor pair looked so pathetic, anyone would want to help them, right?

…No, not right, actually. Unfortunately for Aladdin and Nida, the people they were begging were a group of thieves. The men began laughing cruelly.

"Ha ha ha! You come into a den of thieves and ask for them to help you?"

"Take everything they have and sell it! Although I don't think we'll get too much…"

"It's just a weak little kid! Take the girl, too! She could be of some use…"

Nida's ears twitched when she heard that, and using some of the strength she got back during her power nap, she grabbed the man by his ankles and pulled him to the ground with her. Getting up close to his face, her pupils dilated and lower eyelid twitching madly, she growled at him

"Say it again, I dare you…" She growled wildly, throwing a right hook into his face. At the same time, Ugo decided to make himself known. The startled thieves tried to fight back, but Ugo was too much for them. And with Nida swinging windmill punches every which way, none of them could escape.

"Food… Give us food…" Aladdin sobbed, clinging to one man's leg.

"And water… Sweet, cool water…" Nida choked out, opening her mouth wide and holding onto the same man's neck. The man started panicking, sweating like a pig.

"I UNDERSTAND JUST PLEASE DON'T EAT ME!"

Nida bit down on his head.

"_GYAAAAAAAAAH!"_

/

After the whole fiasco with the thieves, Nida and Aladdin found their way to the Oasis City Utan. The two were dirty, sweaty, and very hungry, but Nida said the glowing butterflies promised that their adventure would begin soon.

"Hey, Nida-nee," Aladdin began. "Do you think we'll ever find food?" Nida gently placed a hand on Aladdin's head.

"There's a caravan…" She muttered, too tired to speak properly.

Aladdin looked at Nida.

Nida looked at Aladdin.

Nida and Aladdin looked at the caravan, and back to each other.

Happy grins stretched across their faces as they rambled through the dirt towards their salvation.

/

It was like a Christmas miracle in the middle of July. A whole caravan full of watermelons! Nida wiped the drool trailing to her chin. She looked around to see if anyone was around to help them, when she heard a munching sound coming from inside the caravan. She pulled open the flap to see Aladdin eating a whole melon. He turned to Nida, his cheeks stuffed with the juicy red fruit, and swallowed loudly.

"Nida-nee, what is this called? It's really tasty!" Nida looked at him blankly, sweat dropping at the pile of already devoured watermelons.

"Watermelons…" She muttered, stomach growling. 'It's wrong to steal, but no one would turn down two starving travelers,' she thought. 'Right?'

Right?

So the two ate twice their weight in melons when the flap to the caravan opened. Nida and Aladdin turned, their engorged bellies jiggling from the movement. Staring right back at them were two teenaged girls, one a blonde like Nida, and the other appeared to be of Indian descent.

And that was how Aladdin and Nida met Leila and Saasa. It might have been a better meeting, had, Nida and Aladdin not stolen the watermelons. Now they had to pay the caravan back by working for three days without pay.

/

WITH SUZU

"Okay, guys, I'll see you all tomorrow!" Isuzu Kurotaka, better known as 'Suzu', called to his fellow interns and coworkers as he left the hospital. Since his apartment was only a few blocks away, he walked back home.

"Nida, I'm home!" Suzu shouted when he walked through the front door of their apartment, wearing his scrubs and carrying the grocery bags and cardboard pizza box. "And I picked up some food!"

No one answered. Suzu sighed, figuring she was still concentrating on her painting.

"Nida, I have a pizza with extra cheese and extra, extra ground beef!" He called down the stairs to his friend's studio, expecting her to rush up the stairs with a mad glint in her eye like she always did when he mentioned the extra meaty bread treat. When she still didn't answer, Suzu got closer to the stairs and looked down to see the light off. Momo, Suzu's dog, ran over to him with a whimper when she felt her master's concern. Suzu kneeled to give her a comforting pat on the head.

He flicked the light switch on the top of the stairs, groaning in annoyance when the lights stayed off.

"Just how many Nerida's does it take to change a lightbulb?" He grumbled, speed-walking toward the kitchen.

Quickly grabbing a flashlight from the kitchen's utility drawer, he and Momo made their way down the stairs.

A shuffling in the corner with boxes of blank canvases came to their attention when they reached the bottom of the stairs. Pointing his flashlight in the direction of the noise, Suzu called out.

"Nida? Is that you?" The shuffling continued, getting louder and louder. Suzu inched closer, Momo growling behind him. From one of the boxes, a small, shadowy figure emerged. Suzu let out a girly shriek as he fell backwards in shock, letting go of the flashlight. The figure landed on his chest.

"KYA!" Momo growled louder, prepared to lunge at the thing that attacked her beloved master. The shadow shifted, rubbing its fuzzy head under Suzu's chin. Suzu's eyes lit up in recognition.

"Goddammit, Sebastian!" Suzu whispered loudly at Nida's one-eyed black cat. "You scared the living hell out of me!" He placed his hand on Momo's head, calming her down. He stood up to search for the flashlight he dropped, seeing its light shining on a painting on the wall. Suzu stared at the painting, in awe of the detail surrounding it.

He was always a big fan of Nida's artwork. When he wasn't in class or at work in the hospital, he would often watch her paint. The way she focused on even the smallest detail was incredible. How she made the colors pop and the textures appear lifelike, even the most fantastical creature seemed to jump out of the canvas. This painting, unlike her fantasy paintings and spirit requests, was different.

It was a painting of an infant, surrounded by black and white butterflies. An eerie red took up much of the background, and shadowy hands grabbed for the infant. A pale hand lay on the floor near the child's sleeping basket, covered in blood. It was creepy.

But it was oddly familiar…

He glanced to his left and saw two more paintings: both young men, and both completely different from one another.

The first one was a man with red hair in a kind of ancient Asian attire. His expression was stoic, his stance wide, and a sword hung at his hip. His eyes showed the whirring mind of an intelligent man with big goals and the will to do whatever it took to achieve them. A colorful sunrise and an intricate Eastern dragon circled the background.

The other was a slightly younger man; though this man was pure white from his hair to his skin. He sat on a large boulder in the ocean on a moonlit night. His green robes were torn slightly, and his calm, mournful gaze was focused toward an island. From his back sprouted two white wings, tainted with red. A broken mirror teetered at the edge of the boulder.

They were beautiful… Suzu stared at them a bit longer before nodding.

"Yeah, I'd tap that."

Momo whined, nudging Suzu's hand with her nose, and Sebastian rubbed himself on Suzu's legs. Suzu bent down and picked up the one-eyed cat and scratched Momo's ears.

"She always did have this way of making her work seem real…" Suzu mused, turning from the painting. He pointed the flashlight to where Nida's spare mattress sat, thinking she might be asleep from over working.

The mattress was gone, and her bookshelves were toppled and empty.

And Nida was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh fuck, Nida!" Suzu cried, rushing over to the empty space. He looked around for any sign of a forced entry when the wind started to blow. The lights of the room started to flicker on and off, and Suzu pulled Momo and Sebastian closer to his person.

"What the hell is going on?!" He cried as he grabbed onto the closest items to hold onto as the wind blew faster and the room began to spin. "There was definite no mention of a storm in the weather report, especially not one like this!" The wind stopped as suddenly as it began, and Suzu began to feel dizzy.

Momo's frantic barking and Sebastian's ferocious hissing was the last thing he heard before everything went black.

/

"Ugh, what the hell happened?" Suzu moaned groggily as he tried to sit up. "Did I go to a work party to celebrate a successful surgery or something? I feel like I have a hangover…" He grabbed his head as a sharp pain went through it. He felt someone grab his arm, hoisting him into a standing position.

"We have been looking for you everywhere, Magi-sama." Suzu heard, his vision still fuzzy. He wobbled a bit, though the person caught him when he almost fell.

"Magi-sama? Is everything alright?" The man asked.

"…gonna hurl…"

"Excuse me?" The man replied, startled.

"…I feel like I'm going to be sick…" Suzu burped and covered his mouth, his skin becoming a pellucid green. The man snapped to attention.

"Yes, of course! I shall bring you back to the palace, and get a healer to look at you! Please be patient until then!" He pulled Suzu into his arms and jogged off in a direction Suzu couldn't quite comprehend.

"Not so fast… please be gentle…" Suzu begged weakly, trying to keep the contents of his stomach _in _his stomach. The man froze, as if he heard something unusual.

"Um, yes, of course, Magi-sama…" The man continued on as gently as possible, and Suzu lost consciousness once again.

/

When he regained consciousness, the first thing Suzu noticed was that the bed was really nice. The sheets were made of silks, satins, and what felt like Egyptian cotton. Suzu opened his eyes to find himself in an elaborate room; the kind of room one would see belonging to royalty in Hollywood movies. Rich reds and glittering golds adorned the walls and wooden doors.

He looked down at himself to see he had been stripped of his scrubs, and was now wearing old Chinese-style sleeping robes, a nice red in color with a black trim.

Purring to his left caught his attention, and he looked over to see Sebastian sitting beside him.

"Hey, little pirate. I was wondering where you were. Everything okay?" He asked the eye-patched cat, silently wondering where on earth Momo could be. Sebastian rubbed his head against Suzu's chin in an attempt at comfort when the pair paused, hearing a conversation on the other side of the door.

"So you're telling me that you found him near the red light district, unconscious and wearing those strange clothes?" An irritated voice floated through the closed doorway.

"Yes, Kouen-sama," Replied who Suzu recognized to be the man who carried him here.

"He was disoriented and rather sick when you found him, as well?" The other man asked.

"Yes, Kouen-sama."

"And the filthy creature with him?"

"It insisted on following him, Kouen-sama." A third man's voice joined the others.

"And what of his hair? He had long hair before."

"He is as I found him, Koumei-sama." The door opened, and Suzu wheeled back in shock.

Right in front of him was the red haired man in the dragon painting, goatee and all.

Sebastian hissed, his haunches raised and his ears flattened. Suzu gently patted him to try and calm him down. Sebastian responded by rubbing himself on Suzu's borrowed robes, his whiskers tickling the exposed skin. Suzu looked again to the three men.

The first was the man in Nida's painting. He was as exquisite in real life as he was in the portrait. He looked exactly the same, except without the dragon behind him.

The second man was similar to the first. The only difference was that this man seemed to suffer from skin problems and insomnia. Plus his hair was longer.

The third man was dressed like an ancient Chinese soldier. It made Suzu think back to his Disney movie binge with Nida on her birthday, when they watched Mulan. Still, this was the man who helped him. The other two were too regal to have done what he did, or speak as awkwardly as he had. Suzu knew he should thank the man properly.

"You must be the man who helped me out wherever I was earlier. Thank you for that." Even from his sitting position, Suzu gave a light bow in thanks. It was one of the few habits he retained from his earlier life living in Japan. The three men looked at him in surprise.

"Is everything alright, Judal?" The tired man asked. "You don't seem to be yourself. Are you sick?" Suzu cocked his head and furrowed his brow.

"Okay, unless I imagined the last twenty-four years of my life, my name is _not _Judal." The men stared at each other as another soldier ran in the room. He stopped to bow at the other three men.

"Lord Kouen, I have received word that the Magi has been found. He was hiding in a different peach tree than normal…" The soldier trailed off when he noticed Suzu behind them. Suzu lifted a hand in greeting.

"Sup." The four men stared at each other. If Judal was elsewhere, who is this man who looks like him? Kouen grabbed the front of Suzu's robes.

"Who are you?" He growled. Sebastian began to hiss again, though a yowling started to mix in with it. Suzu stared into the Kouen's eyes, unintimidated.

"You're pretty cute up close…" Suzu muttered. The silence of the room led him to believe he was louder than he thought. Kouen's eyebrow twitched and he dragged Suzu from the bed and down the hallway. Sebastian launched at them, going for Kouen's arm. Kouen, seeing the attack from the corner of his eye, went for his sword. Suzu grabbed his hand and the back of Sebastian's neck.

"No, don't! He's just trying to protect me! I'll come with you; just don't hurt him, okay? And you!" Suzu turned to the cat. "I was the stupid one to rudely call a man of an obviously high social status sexy. Come here." He pulled Sebastian into his chest. "Rest yourself upon my bosom." He turned to Kouen, who stared at him like he was on some sort of drug.

"I promise I am not on any drugs, I am completely sane and sober. Please, continue. I will follow." The two soldiers stood behind them, blocking any chance there was of escape. "It really isn't like I can go anywhere if I wanted to."

He followed Kouen down the hallways, each one as intricately decorated as the room he had been resting in. Suzu stared in awe. He had never been to a place so fancy. Not even that restaurant that his boss took him and his coworkers to was this fancy, and that was the most expensive restaurant in the city! He was so fascinated by the décor, he didn't notice Kouen stop, and ran into his back. And damn, was it chiseled. Suzu could feel it.

"We're here." Where was here? He opened the doors to an elaborate throne room. A man in shepherd's attire stepped forward.

"Kouen-sama, I know that you are the first imperial prince of the nation, and a highly respected general, but this is a private meeting…" He trailed off as Kouen made his way into the room, once again pulling Suzu by the collar of his robes. Suzu, who had not been prepared for the sudden yank, abruptly fell forward, dropping Sebastian in the process. The people in the room all turned to look at them, to Suzu's utter embarrassment. Sebastian meowed, pawing Suzu's bare foot before jumping onto his shoulders. He pulled himself up, dusted himself off, and stared back at the occupants of the room with his head held high. The shepherd began to sputter.

"J-J-JUDAL! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO YOUR HAIR?! All those years of letting it grow! And the way you are dressed, are you sick? Kouen-sama, just what is the meaning of this?!" Kouen hummed.

"I suppose it is not just an error on your part, Shen," he mused, speaking to the soldier in question. He turned back to the shepherd. "This is not Judal. I was hoping you knew who this man was." The shepherd stared at Suzu with a contemplative glare. Whispers from the crowd started to get louder.

"How very strange… This truly is not our Magi, Judal? He looks exactly like him." Kouen grabbed Suzu's robes once again. This time, he dragged him to his office.

"Have a seat." Kouen said, gesturing to the cushiony couch.

"My name is Isuzu Kurotaka, but please call me Suzu. I am a 24 year old medical student studying to be a doctor. This is my friend's cat, Sebastian. And yes, he is wearing an eyepatch. That is because he only has one eye. As to what I was doing near the red light district, I have absolutely no idea. Not only am I not interested in that sort of thing..."

"You are not interested in sex?!" Came the indignant shout of one of the incredulous soldiers. A swift slapping sound and a harsh 'shut up!' followed. Suzu frowned.

"I'd rather not answer that, if it's alright…" Kouen nodded. That kind of thing was private. He gestured for Suzu to continue.

"Well, I'm actually not really sure where I am." Kouen's eyes widened. This man didn't know he was in Kou?

"Where are you from?" Kouen asked,

"I'm from a small town in Southern Delaware, in the United States of America."

"How did you get here?"

"I don't know where 'here' is, but I guess it might have been some sort of portal."

"What are the United States of America?"

"Considering you don't know, I can only think that there is no way I'm even in my own dimension."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, it's either that or you're stupid, but you seem very intelligent, so I highly doubt this is the case." Suzu shrugged, his rapidly tapping foot being the only indication of his anxiousness. Kouen's eye twitched.

"You seem to be rather calm for someone who switched dimensions. How can I believe that you are telling the truth? Can you prove it to me?" Suzu leaned back in thought.

"I should have had a bag on me. There might be something in there, or I still had my stethoscope when I got home, so maybe…" He crossed his arms and hummed in thought. Kouen turned to the guards.

"Bring the items that were found with him." He ordered gruffly. Shen and the unnamed guard bowed respectively and left the room.

Awkward silence ensued.

"So," Suzu drawled, trying to make things less awkward. "You're name is Kouen, right?" Said man gave an irritated grunt. "Right. Not on first name basis yet. Got it."

More awkward silence.

"What is this place, anyway?" Without moving a muscle, Kouen answered.

"This is the capital of the Kou Empire."

"What is the Empire like?"

Before Kouen could respond, a loud crash echoed through the corridor. Both men looked at each other quizzically, and turned to the doors.

The doors slammed open, and the two men jumped to their feet, Kouen's hand grasping the hilt of his sword, and Suzu standing in a fighting position. A yellow ball flew forward into Suzu's chest, knocking him to the ground and flinging Sebastian off of his shoulders.

Suzu groaned, having hit the marble floors hard. A pair of unfamiliar guards ran into the room.

"Kouen-dono, our sincerest apologies! The creature was fast. We shall remove it at once…" The guard trailed off when he heard an odd squeal. The prince and his guards turned to look at the strange Judal look-a-like. He held the strange yellow creature in his arms, cuddling it close.

"MOMO! Oh, Momo, baby, daddy missed you so! Where on earth have you been? I guess it doesn't matter since you're here now. Aww, who's my precious baby! You are, yes you are!" A cough was what brought Suzu out of his daze. Keeping his smile on his face, he slowly turned to see the incredulous faces of Kouen and the two guards. His grin melted into a scowl.

"Just what on earth did you think this would accomplish?! Attacking a poor, defenseless creature like this; Shame on you! Oh Momo, you must have been so scared! You poor thing, daddy's here now…" Shaken from his stupor, one of the soldiers growled.

"I don't care about the well-being of that filthy beast! I only care that it is carrying a portrait of Prince Kouen!" Suzu's frown deepened and he took another look at his dog. The Shiba Inu was indeed carrying Nida's portrait of the man around her neck. It must have gotten caught on her collar at some point.

"Nida's painting… I guess it came with us." He mused, freeing Momo from her extra baggage. Momo yipped happily as she ran in circles, chasing her tail. The other man in the room, Koumei, if Suzu remembered correctly, gaped in surprise.

"I thought you didn't know who my brother was?"

"I didn't."

"Then how did you paint such a detailed portrait?"

"I didn't. My friend Nida painted this. I must have grabbed a hold of it when that cyclone hit."

Suzu gave a sheepish grin.

"I have a lot of explaining to do, don't I?"

/

Okay everyone, I am so sorry for the wait. I had to change quite a few things in the plotline, which let to me changing much of what I had written.


	3. Nida's new brother and Suzu's student

/WITH NERIDA AND ALADDIN/

Nida yawned as she and Aladdin walked through the market with their new companions; Leila, the blonde, and Saasa, the darker skinned girl and caravan leader's daughter. She was still sleepy from her and Aladdin's long journey through the desert. It wasn't safe for a young woman and a little boy to be wandering out there by themselves, after all.

Especially with Nida dragging her mattress around. If they got into trouble, there was no way to get out of it without leaving the mattress behind, and Nida refused to do that.

"It has all my stuff in it," She had told Aladdin one night. "I tend to bring things to bed with me, and it stays there because I forget about it the next day." She pulled out a spare shirt and two apples to emphasize her point, and Aladdin let it go.

Aladdin shifted the bag of fruits on his head, a wide smile on his face. Nida adjusted the two melons she was carrying as she walked beside her new little brother.

"Wow, there are so many things for sale!" Aladdin quipped.

"That's because this is a bazaar," Leila snapped. Aladdin looked at her quizzically.

"A 'bazaar'?" He questioned, turning to Nida to see if she could explain. Nida's brow was furrowed, as if she didn't understand something.

"How bizarre…" she murmured, nearly dropping a melon when she put a finger on her chin in thought. She quickly steadied herself and caught up with the others.

"You really don't know?" Leila asked, incredulous. "People gather around oases like this one so they'll have water, and a town gets made," She explained.

"Caravans like ours travel to those towns and cities, and bazaars naturally form." Aladdin brightened with understanding.

"So it's like a journey! It sounds like fun." He said, nearly falling backwards from the weight of the fruit. Nida stuck her foot out to steady him.

"It's not all fun, though," Saasa said. "There are a lot of bands of thieves in the desert."

"Bands of thieves?" Aladdin asked as he regained balance.

"They are scary people who hideout in the desert and steal the merchandise from passing caravans." Saasa explained at Aladdin's confused expression. "Those thieves live by selling that merchandise on the black market. Aladdin nodded.

"I see!" Leila stared at him.

"Don't say 'I see'. How do you not know this?" She turned to Nida. "What kind of things do you teach him?!" She stared at the two strange people before standing protectively in front of Saasa.

"I don't trust you weirdos. Don't do anything weird to Saasa, or I'll slap you!" She threatened. Aladdin reeled back in shock.

"Leila, this little kid isn't a thief. Neither is the girl." She pointed to the two. Nida had put the melons on the ground, rubbing Aladdin's back soothingly as he wobbled in fear of a slap. Saasa knelt down in front of him.

"Sorry about that. Apparently, there is a thief who pretends to be dying in order to sneak into caravans. Leila's kind, so she's worried about our caravan. Don't think badly of her." Aladdin smiled.

"Lady, you have a scary face, but you care about your friends!" Nida sighed, face palming. She needed to teach Aladdin the kinds of things it's okay to say to a lady… Luckily, Leila was unfazed.

"Thanks, I guess. So why are you two in out in the desert, anyway?" Aladdin seemed to sparkle.

"I'm searching for treasure with my friend!" You could hear a pin drop in the silence that ensued between the four of them.

Leila and Saasa looked at Nida with expressions that clearly said, "Why did you drag a child into the desert for something that stupid?" Nida waved her hand, picking up the melons she had put down.

"He's not talking about me. He found me on the way." She put the melons down on the stand for Leila and Saasa's caravan, listening as Aladdin carried on about his adventure.

"I'm especially looking for musical instruments and lamps made of metal…"

"Does that count as treasure? They sell that stuff everywhere. Why are you looking for it?" Leila asked, placing the bag of melons in front of the caravan stand near Nida's melons.

"My friend is looking for something. I want to find it and make him happy! Right Nida-nee?" He turned his big smile to the older blonde, earning a small smile and nod in return.

"I'll introduce you to him! This is my precious friend, Ugo-kun!" He reached into his vest and pulled out Ugo's flute. Leila stared at him like he was an idiot.

"That's a flute." She deadpanned. Nida glared.

"It's Ugo. Get it right." She snapped.

Nida was beginning to grow tired of Leila's attitude. She knew Leila was just trying to protect her friends, but there is a fine line between protecting someone and just being mean to someone else. She knelt behind Aladdin.

"Ugo, you should say thank you to the lady for the yummy fruit from this morning." She said to the flute. Aladdin nodded.

"Nida-nee is right. Say thank you!" And he blew into the mouthpiece. Two giant, muscular arms appeared from within, grabbing the melons from Leila's arms before shooting back into the flute with a small puff of smoke. Nida puffed her cheeks out in annoyance.

"I said thank them, not steal more melons."

"Hey, Ugo-kun!" Aladdin yelled to the flute where his friend disappeared. "I'm sorry, he's a little shy, especially around women…" Nida stared at the caravan group, wondering why they haven't reacted yet.

"GYAAAAAAAAAH!"

Ah, so it was just a delayed reaction. Seems appropriate. Leila pulled out a sword and stood protectively in front of Saasa and the other members of the caravan.

"Wh-wha-what were those arms… Or were they snakes?!" Nida puffed her cheeks again.

"How many times do we have to say it's Ugo-kun before you understand that it's Ugo-kun?!"

/LATER THAT NIGHT/

Nida was sleeping on her mattress in the tent, but not very peacefully.

"_No, I'm not letting you go by yourself!"_

"_Let me go, Nini. I have to do this!"_

"_I refuse! You're my only friend. And I refuse to lose you! I'm coming with you whether you like it or not!"_

"_But I don't want you to get hurt!"_

"_I'll get killed being out here! I punched a high-standing general in the face, remember?!"_

"_I'll make sure they don't when I come out of the dungeon alive! No matter what, I'm going to come back for you!"_

"…_Do you promise?"_

"…_I love you too much to stay away."_

_She brushed his hair from his eyes, eyes that smoldered with resolve. And love. For her and her alone. He leaned forward, his eyes closing. Their lips were less than an inch away from each other…_

BANG

"SANTA MARIA WHAT THE HELL JUST HIT ME- Oh, hi Aladdin." Aladdin sat up, holding his bloody nose.

"What are you doing?" He moaned. Nida sighed and grabbed her handkerchief out of her bed, wiping up the blood from his nose. Leila shrieked at him.

"WHAT WERE _YOU_ DOING?!" She yelled, gesturing to a nearly-topless, sleeping Saasa. Nida paused from her wiping and stared at Aladdin.

"Al, where did you learn that this kind of thing is okay?" He looked at her with wide, innocent blue eyes.

"You mean it isn't?" Nida sweatdropped.

"No." She deadpanned. Aladdin rubbed his eye sleepily.

"She was warm, so I ended up sleeping next to her." He giggled.

"You call that sleeping next to her? I had to tear you off of her! Come sleep next to me, I'm keeping an eye on you." Aladdin shook his head, climbing off of Nida and back under the covers with Saasa.

"No, I'll pass!" he said cheerfully. "You've got all those muscles. You look hard." Leila grabbed his cheeks and pulled. Hard. Nida sighed again, wondering how long it would be before her happiness was sighed away when she felt a buzzing near her thigh. Her eyes widened in surprise when she lifted her blankets to find her phone.

And to see that it was Suzu calling. She turned to Aladdin, who was listening to Leila's story of how she met Saasa.

"I'll be right back."

She picked up her phone and bolted outside.

/WITH ISUZU IN KOU/

Isuzu knew he must look a sight; a dog in his lap, a cat on his shoulders, messy bedhead, and a loose-fitting robe than was starting to fall around his shoulders. He tried pulling up the robe, but the cat kept getting in the way, so he just settled for holding it closed with his free hand. Kouen stared at him from behind his desk. The soldier who had gone to retrieve Suzu's things had returned, and the drawstring bag was currently sitting on the desk.

Suzu reached for his bag.

Kouen gave a low growl.

Suzu retracted his hand.

"You know," Suzu quipped thoughtfully. "I can't show you what's in there if you don't let me open it."

Kouen's brow twitched, and he grabbed the bag. Pulling it open, he reached in to pull something out.

"What is this?" He asked, holding a strange y-shaped device with a shiny, plain medallion at the bottom and odd, soft buds at the top. Suzu sighed.

"That's called a stethoscope," He explained carefully. "I use it to listen to a person's heartbeat." Kouen's eyes glinted for a moment.

"Show me." He demanded, tossing the medical instrument to Suzu. Suzu, not expecting the throw, was hit in the forehead. A little red bump formed as the stethoscope fell into his lap next to Momo. Suzu grabbed the stethoscope before it fell to the floor, and stood. Placing Momo gently in the chair, he walked over to Kouen.

"This might be a little uncomfortable for you, since you aren't used to it," Suzu murmured as he placed the stethoscope in Kouen's ears. He took the other end and placed it on top of his own heart. Kouen's eyes widened.

"This is what a heartbeat sounds like…" He mused. Suzu studied his face. Kouen's barely repressed giddiness on learning what a heartbeat sounded like reminded him of the younger patients in the hospital he worked at. The young children often asked him to show them his 'super cool doctor toys' whenever he was in the children's ward, and their eyes would always light up the same way.

It made him give a small smile.

"What are you smiling about?" Suzu nearly jumped out of his skin. Kouen was staring at him oddly.

"I'm sorry, it's just that you reminded me of one of my patients." Kouen raised an elegant brow.

"Oh? And how is that?" Suzu gently took the stethoscope from the prince's ears and placed the instrument around his neck.

"Your expression when you heard the heartbeat," he turned back to his drawstring bag. "Anything else you want to know about?" Kouen reached back into the bag, pulling out a book. He handed it to Suzu, staring at him expectantly.

"Oh, my book! I thought I left that at home…"

"This is a book? What kind of book? What is it about?"

"It's a collection of fairy tales. I borrowed it from my roommate to read to the children at the hospital."

"So children's stories…" The red haired prince pulled a pencil out of the bag.

"That is a writing utensil. The pointy end writes, and the other end gets rid of mistakes."

"It 'gets rid of mistakes?' How?" Kouen demanded.

"There should be another book in the bag full of blank paper. May I have it?" Kouen pulled out the item requested and Suzu took the pencil. He drew a squiggle and erased it. To him, it really wasn't a big deal, but apparently it was impressive.

"This would be useful when writing documents…" Kouen mused. Suzu glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

"That is actually not a good idea."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"You see, pencils can easily smudge. And if the document you are writing is important, there is always a risk of someone erasing and rewording parts of the document to their favor. But I have a pen, which could be useful, too."

"A pen?"

"Yes," Suzu pointed to the quill on Kouen's desk, which Sebastian was busy batting. "It's kind of like that quill, but it's already full of ink, and you don't have to keep dipping it. I can refill it when it runs out, but it's slightly more efficient. If you want to use the pencil, use it for a rough draft of what you want on the document. That way, you can word it the way you want, erase any spelling errors or sentences that don't make sense, and copy it in ink." Kouen blinked.

"It seems like a grueling process, does it not?"

"It's better than having to write the document over and over again. I do it all the time where I come from." It was probably best not to mention computers and printers right now. Kouen thought it over.

"Your devices are interesting, though none of them explain how you have come to arrive here in Rakushoku, or Kou, for that matter."

"Look, I already told you everything I know! I don't know what kind of magic brought me here, but I swear if it was those damn kappa again, I'm going to have turtle soup for dinner!" Kouen blinked in surprise at the outburst of the seemingly calm and quiet man.

"A… Kappa?"

"Water imps from the country I come from. They once kidnapped my roommate when we were visiting my grandparents."

"Why did they kidnap your roommate?"

"Because even though she doesn't think so, she's really pretty. The leader of the kappa wanted to make her his wife."

"Is this roommate your night companion?" That was not Kouen who asked the question.

It was one of the guards from before; the one who asked him about sex.

Suzu growled lowly, giving a dark glare to the man.

"Need I remind you about our earlier conversation?" Suzu said lowly. "I do not participate in such activities with women." The guard snorted.

"What, do you do them with men instead?" he laughed, finding such a thing to be unbelievable. Suzu was silent as the hand holding his robe together tightened into a fist, his cheeks burning.

Shen, the guard who brought Suzu to the palace, whacked his companion with the wooden bokken. He was about to reprimand him further when Suzu spoke again.

"Yes." The guard, shocked at the confession, did a very impressive impression of a fish. Even Kouen was surprised.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I don't associate myself like that with women. I prefer men. And even then, I have standards."

"Standards?"

"I have a specific type. And that type is a secret, in case you were wondering."

"…So women aren't your type?"

Suzu subconsciously let go of his robes in a fit of frustration.

"NO, THEY ARE NOT. Nerida is my close friend, my soul sister, and nothing more! The bond we share is that of friends, not lovers! Leave me alone about my love life!"

The robes slid down his shoulders, revealing Suzu's pale chest. Both the guards at the door stared at his smooth, alabaster skin. Quite suddenly, they both spouted nosebleeds and fell to the ground. Blushing profusely, Suzu gathered up the robes and adjusted the tie on his waist, having not been able to do so before because of Momo and Sebastian.

He turned back to Kouen, who was also staring. Suzu's eyes were covered by his bangs.

"I beg you not to ask any more on the subject. It brings nothing but painful memories."

"…You said that you are training to become a doctor. Tell me more."

Suzu said nothing, but slid next to the prince. Taking Kouen's large hand into his smaller ones, Suzu began to rub the hand between the fingers, at the palm, and at the wrist.

"Someone like you who seems to write often, if the callus here at the top of your middle finger is any indication, might often find their writing hand getting stiff or crampy. You also fight, don't you? A sword fighter? The calluses here show that. Wow, you have big hands… Um…" He stopped

/LATER/

Suzu sat on the large bed in the room Kouen had prepared for him. After learning the kinds of things Suzu knew about in how to treat sicknesses, Kouen requested that he become the royal healer. Apparently, the last one had grown much too old to continue her work, and they were in need of one. And since Suzu had nowhere else to go, he accepted.

The room Kouen chose for him was beautiful; rich, dark woods and bright shades of red and white filled the room. His drawstring bag sat on the bed with him, Kouen having finished with him for the day. He said that he would inquire about the painting tomorrow.

It was dark out, though, and very quiet. It seemed everyone else had gone to bed.

Just what Suzu had been waiting for.

He reached into his bag and fiddled with the hidden compartment that held his valuables, and pulled out his phone. Finding it still had life, flipped through the contacts to one name he knew he could count on, but not before he saw the text notification.

_Hey babe, just got out. Gonna find u and make u scream_

Oh god, not him. ANYONE but him. He needed Nerida. He fumbled with his phone until he found the name.

_Nida._

He hit send, and the call began.

_Ring. Ring. Ring. Rin-_

"_Suzy, is that really you?"_

"Oh, Nida, you have no idea how wonderful it is to hear your voice! Where are you? Are you hurt? Did some pervert try to do something mean to you? Did some weirdo stand in front of you wearing nothing but a leaf talking about how nice the weather was?"

"_Only one of those happened, kind of. I adopted him as my little brother."_

"You adopted a pervert?!"

"_He's like ten. And he's a good boy. He just really likes boobs."_

"Well, I guess if he has to have a perversion for something, it should be something you have a lot of."

"_Shut up."_

"Nida, what is going on? I came home from my shift at the hospital to find you and your mattress missing. AND one of your paintings came with me, and the guy who is IN the painting- who is even more gorgeous in real life, by the way- has pretty much appointed me as the royal family's personal healer. He also wants to meet you to commission another painting, so you know."

"_Badr said that he wanted me to give the painting of his family to his son. I think we might be in the past."_

"The past? Not just another country?"

"_I am temporarily working as a sales person in a caravan at an old fashioned bazaar."_

"I see. That does make a lot more sense, except we might be in another dimension. In all the history books I have read, I have never seen references for Kou or anything like that. Kou is the country I'm in."

"_That explains the big blue djinn that comes out of my new brother's flute."_

"The who that comes out of the what?"

"_A djinn. His name is Ugo. He's really nice, actually."_

"Nida, I know I can't do much of anything from where I am right now, but please be careful. We've had enough trouble with supposedly mythical creatures. Remember the kappa? You're lucky my grandparents' shrine is connected to the crow demons, otherwise you would be spirited away by those damn imps." Suzu froze.

"Speaking of forced marriages and really bad relationships, guess who got out and found my number?"

"_Not King Dingleberry…"_

"Nida, I'm in another dimension, safe from him, but I'm still scared of him! The images…"

"_Next time I see that man, I'm taking a cigar cutter to his dick. They will call me the 'Johnny Chopper'."_

"Oh."

"_And the next time I see you, I'm going to fight you so hard."_

"Heehee, not if I fight you first."

"_I said so first!"_

"I said so second!"

"…_Dammit."_

"I always win, you know that."

"_Eff you."_

"Excuuuuuuuse? You know you can never defeat me! I am the invincible!"

"_Badr and the other butterflies know your weakness. I can send them to torture you."_

"I'm already dead, what do I care?!"

"_Wait, still?!"_

"I got my death certificate in the mail."

"_Pfft."_

"Anyway, it's getting late. We both are going to have a lot to do. I will call you when I can, okay?"

"_Okay, Suzuran. Be careful, and be safe."_

"That goes double for you. Bye." Suzu hung up. He turned his phone off and shoved it back in the hidden compartment of the bag. He fell back onto the fluffy pillows and closed his eyes, wondering what this strange world would bring him tomorrow.


	4. What goes around

/WITH NIDA/

Nida sighed again as she hung up her phone. She turned to the butterflies fluttering around her.

"Would some of you go and watch over him? I worry, you know?" The butterflies flickered, and a few flew off. Nida waved them off, thanking them before heading back to bed. Leila, Saasa, and Aladdin were all asleep by the time she returned, so she just climbed into bed, worrying about what might happen in the next few days.

She slept, but she didn't dream.

/THE NEXT DAY/

Nida sat with Aladdin in her lap, her breasts resting on the top of his head-not that Aladdin minded- as they watched the caravan group determine their next route. She didn't really know what was going on, since she was busy speaking to Badr and some of the other spirits.

"_I was thinking about it last night, Badr-chan, but I've been having weird dreams lately."_

"_**Oh? What are those dreams about, little angel?" **_

"_Well, I'm talking to a boy who is slightly older than me, who isn't Suzu, and this boy was trying to keep me from going somewhere… Somewhere that was dangerous that he was going to. He told me it was because…" _ Nida trailed off, embarrassed.

"_**Go on sweetie, what happened?" **_Badr coaxed. Nida squeezed Aladdin a little closer to her, to which he responded by patting her arm.

"_Badr, the boy in my dream told me he loved me. Too much to stay away. And he…" _She paused, biting her lower lip.

"_He kissed me."_

/ALADDIN/

As he sat in Nida-nee's lap, her large, soft breasts on his head, he noticed a few of the bird-like butterfly things flittering around him and Nida-nee. Mostly around Nida-nee, though, so he figured they must be talking to her. He felt Nida tense and squeeze him tight, so he patted her arm as a small sign of comfort and started paying more attention to the scene in front of him.

A couple low-life bandits had come up to the caravan, revealing a secret that they all could have gone without knowing.

The thief that pretended to be dying in the desert to trick and steal from various caravans, the one Saasa told him about before, turned out to be the one person no one expected.

It was Leila.

Saasa was horrified, and the caravan leader stated that she was no longer trustworthy. But Aladdin knew something was off.

Leila loved the caravan and its members, especially Saasa. She wouldn't do anything to hurt them, especially not on purpose.

As if she sensed a problem, Nida finally snapped out of her daze, and whacked Leila on the back of the head.

"Last night, didn't you tell us that you owed your life to them? Aren't they your precious family?!" She shouted. Leila turned to her, anger and tears clear on her face.

"They aren't family! I wasn't born in the caravan like the rest of them! I'm just an outsider!" Nida grabbed Leila by her top.

"You think that's the definition of family?! 'Being born into it'?! BULLSHIT!" She threw Leila to the ground. Aladdin, though shocked at the difference in Nida's attitude, stood by with a worried expression, watching. Nida's posture slackened slightly, as she looked off into the distance.

"'Family' is the people who feed you, clothe you, and shelter you. 'Family' stays by you when things go wrong. 'Family' embraces your flaws and comforts you when you're sad. You're happy together, angry together, and sad together. Sure, there will be fights, but when you make up, the bond between you will be stronger. Family has nothing to do with where you were born. Because 'family' is the people who you love, and the people who love you back, unconditionally." She turned back to Leila. "Do you love the caravan, Leila?" The tears in Leila's eyes fell hot and hard.

"Y-YES!" She wailed. Nida crouched down and pulled Leila into a hug.

"Then what are you still doing here? Let's go to your family." Leila nodded, wiping her face with her sleeve. Aladdin smiled, but then turned serious.

"We're going to have to be fast. They're headed toward bandit territory, right? Let's go! Nida ran to her mattress and pulled out a strange looking stick with an odd pattern on it.

'Louisville Slugger'

Those bandits were in for some damage from the hell storm that is Nerida Aberdeen. Nida pointed her Louisville slugger in a random direction.

"Let us go forth and rescue the damsels! SEIZE THE DAY!" and she charged.

"Nida-nee, it's this way!" Aladdin called. Nida spun around and charged into the direction Aladdin was pointing.

"Seize the day!" Aladdin shook his head at his silly nee-san, as he pulled out Ugo.

"Let's go, Ugo!" And he blew into the flute.

/SUZU/

Suzu awoke to the chirping of birds. He slid out of bed, eyes still closed, and walked over to the window. He opened his eyes slowly and looked out the window, expecting to see the bustling beach town he and Nida had grown accustomed to. Instead, though, he saw a large garden filled with flowers and fruit trees.

His face deadpanned.

"The fuck…" He stepped backwards, tripping on his own feet and falling onto his backside. He stood up, brushed himself off, and began to think.

"Okay, let's see…" He began to pace. "I got home, couldn't find Nida, found her missing, then a storm went through my house, I ended up in this weird place, and am now employed by a royal family as a doctor. This makes _so_ much sense… I remember now. Okay. Panic mode off." He stopped pacing and looked around the bedroom, stopping when he saw the wardrobe. He looked down, remembering that he wore the current robe all day the day before, and walked over to it. Inside were beautiful silk robes made for only those of high standing.

_Females_ of high standing. He cursed. He was a guy. Admittedly, he knew he was pretty, but he still would like at least a pair of pants.

"But I don't want to wear this one, it's dirty." He sighed, feeling dejected as he pulled a lovely blue qipao out of the wardrobe. It was ankle length, had silver accents and sheer black sleeves. At least it was modest. He slid off the robe and placed it on the bed, noticing a bowl full of warm water and a cloth. He picked up the cloth and wrung it out, wiping the dirt, sweat, and grime off of his body. When he felt he was clean enough, he slid on the qipao. He remembered seeing a vanity with a mirror, so he walked over to it to look at his reflection. What he saw made him cringe.

The whites of his eyes were bloodshot, his hair stuck up at odd angles, and he had dark circles and bags under his eyes.

"Ugh, I look like a mess." He groaned, sitting down and grabbing the brush off of the vanity to try and tame the rat's nest he called hair. Once he was sure that he was as good as he was going to look, he stood, pulling on a pair of black shoes, and made his way out the door. He stopped short, turning back to the bed where the animals slept.

"Come on, lazy fur-children! It's time to explore!" Not an inch of movement. Suzu sighed, closing his eyes.

"Breakfast." He opened his eyes to find that the pets were no longer in the bed. He felt hot air on his leg and looked down. Momo was standing there, tail wagging a mile a minute, waiting for her breakfast. With Sebastian riding on her back. He sighed again.

"Why did I know that was going to work? Meh, come on." The odd trio skipped down the corridor, searching for the kitchens. Momo paused mid step, sticking her nose in the air. With an excited yip, she rushed past Suzu, who in turn followed the new leader. She skidded to a stop in front of a pair of large, wooden doors. Cherry, from the look and feel. Suzu opened the door and peeked inside. It seemed that despite it being early morning, no one was awake to prepare anything. Suzu was the lone human in the kitchen. He grinned as his brown eyes twinkled.

God help us all.

I'm sorry it's so late, everyone. And so short. I've been busy with internship this semester, and haven't really had time to sit down and write. This is my last semester, and I need to do well to graduate. That means pass my classes and complete 180 hours of internship up until the last week of April. (I'm already done about 25 hours right now).

For notes; Someone in comments mentioned that Nida is having a better time than Suzu. It really isn't that surprising, if you think about it. Nida's personality is so go-with-the-flow chill that she really doesn't seem to care. But physically, it's hard on her, because she's physically weak. Plus, she's out in a desert doing lots of walking in the heat, and while she's used to the sand because she lives in a beach town, she's also used to the ocean to cool her off.

Suzu, on the other hand, has been brought to the palace after being mistaken for Judar, interrogated by the sexy prince Kouen, and welcomed into the palace of weirdos for getting a kink out of the first prince's neck. Now he is a doctor at the palace, where he has luxuries Nida doesn't have at the moment. But he's having a harder time mentally, because he is much more logical than Nida. And while the Kappa issue really did happen, dimension hopping has only ever been a science fiction phenomenon, and he's not quite sure how to take it, despite the company of the handsome prince.

Basically, they're both having their own ups and downs, and it's going to go downhill before they reach the trampoline at the bottom.

Anyway, I'll get the next chapter out when I can, but it might take a while. I'm really sorry.


	5. Comes Around

Oh my gosh guys, I am so sorry. I was so stressed and so busy I didn't really have time to work on this story without feeling drained. But I'm back for now, and I hope not to have a hiatus like that again.

/The Caravan/

Saasa quivered in fear behind her father. As soon as the bandits swooped in, they knew they made a grave error in disbelieving Leila. They were in some serious trouble.

"We have some marks, head." One of the bandits grinned to another, a large fat man with an eyepatch and scraggly beard. He grinned, an ugly sneer on his face as he looked over the caravan and its occupants, lifting his sword menacingly.

Tears formed in Saasa's eyes . She sank further into her father's hold, but in less than a few second she was ripped away by her hair, a sword pointed at her throat.

"Hold it right there!" Someone called. The leader of the bandits paused, clicking his tongue.

"Who the hell is it?!" He bellowed, turning to see who called out. Someone was running toward them.

And they were running fast.

"I won't let you hurt this lady's precious friends!" The figure got closer and the bandits were able to see them clearly. The child who dared defy them…

…Had a huge, muscular, and _blue_ body. The bandits stared.

Wait a minute.

"_**HHGYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"**_

"_W-wh-wh-what's with that kid?!"_

"_His body is huge! It's disturbing!"_

"No, look closer!" Shouted the head bandit. "That huge body's coming out of that huge flute!"

It was true. In reality, it was Leila hanging off of Aladdin who was hanging off of Ugo. But where was Nida…?

"What is it, head?!"

"It's a djinn…" He answered, sweating. "That's a djinn's flute!

"I'm sure you've at least heard of them." He continued. "Djinns are spirits that appear in all the legends! Everyone knows the tradition of sealing them in metal objects… But I never thought they were real!" He shrieked as the boy and the djinn simultaneously threw a kick at the bandits.

A group of bandits went to attack Aladdin, who grinned and threw a punch, acting as Ugo's eyes. Ugo's arm instantly took out four bandits. They fell into a pile in front of Leila.

'_I've never heard of just two people taking out a whole band of thieves…' Leila thought. 'But these guys might be able to do it!'_

Aladdin turned to smile at Leila, but froze in horror.

"No, Lady! Don't touch Ugo-kun!"

"Huh?" Ugo's skin began to burn as he fell over with a full-body blush.

"OH NO NO NO!" Aladdin shrieked.

"WHY?!" Leila bellowed. Aladdin looked down.

"Ugo-kun is shy, and if a girl touches him, he faints. Now he can't move!" He ran over to Leila, swinging windmill punches. "Give back Ugo-kun's pure heart!"

"How is this my fault?!" The head bandit grinned and had his men pick up the crossbows.

"HAHAHA! IT'S OVER! DIE, YOU BRAT!" Aladdin picked up his flute.

"It's not over yet! Ugo-kun's still strong even when he can't move!" He took a deep breath and blew, quickly throwing the flute into the air. The bandits began to snigger.

"HAHAHA, he threw away the flute now that it's no use!" Aladdin simply pointed up. The bandits looked up questioningly. They screamed at what they saw. Ugo's unconscious body falling from the sky and onto the bandits.

Kersplat!

A strange noise from behind took their attention from the incredible scene. A figure flew past on a strange device and onto Ugo's back, making the bandit's flatter. Nerida looked up from her mattress, a makeshift parasail haphazardly tied to it. Her Louisville Slugger still clutched in her hand.

"What did I miss?"

"You missed it all, Nida-nee." Nida threw the bat onto the mattress, pouting and falling into cross-legged position.

"Nuts!"

"You should have ridden with us."

"Maybe, but I was too heavy to hang off you or Leila, and if I led Ugo, he would have been useless from the start!"

The caravan laughed and cheered. Nida and Aladdin looked at their entourage and back at each other, grinning. They were glad they could help in however they did.

/

The next day had Nida and Aladdin sifting through the metal goods the caravan had to offer. Nida held up the final oil lamp, which Aladdin poked and shook his head. Nida pouted.

"It doesn't look like it's here."

"That's okay, Al. We'll find them somewhere else. We have plenty of places to look." Aladdin nodded at his surrogate sister. He turned to Leila.

"See you, lady. If you find something with a djinn living in it, be careful because djinns can be cowards." Leila looked amused.

"Oh really?"

"Make sure not to scare them with that scary face of yours!" Nida's palm hit her face she climbed into the cart offered to her and Aladdin as thanks. Badr fluttered nearby.

"_**Well, Little Angel, I think you're going to have your hands full with him. He's cheeky, just like my boy was…"**_

And here is where the great adventure begins.

/Suzu/

It was early morning in the Kou palace in the capital of Rakushoku. Breakfast was about to be served. Any minute now…

Except that it hasn't, and the royal family was wondering where the breakfast was. Kouen, fed up with the wait, marched down to the kitchens with his brother Koumei in tow to find the maids cowering in front of the door.

"What on earth is going on? Why are you not completing your duties?" The maids started, staring at him.

"What's going on? Where's my breakfast?!" A new voice demanded. Kouen glanced to his left to see Kou's royal oracle, the great magi, Judar. More like the spoiled magi, honestly. Kouen sighed.

"We apologize, my prince, Lord Oracle," One maid whimpered. "But there are strange noises coming from the kitchens. Everyone is scared, and no one wants to investigate." As if on cue, a strange squawking sound came from the kitchens, followed shortly by a crash. Kouen rushed into action, unsheathing his sword and throwing the door open.

"_**I CAME IN LIKE A WREEEEEEEEEEKING BAAAAAAAAAAALL! I NEVER FELL SO HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD IN LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!" **_

It was Isuzu, the new royal doctor. Along with his pets. He was pouring something in a hot pan, chopping up fruit, frying up bacon and eggs, and sautéing a fish. Suzu turned to see Kouen brandishing his sword, though the hold on the deadly weapon weakened from the shock.

"Oh, good morning, Prince Kouen! Did you come for breakfast?"

"What was that noise?" Kouen asked, looking around.

"What noise?" Suzu cocked his head.

"That noise that was coming from here when I opened the door." Kouen sheathed his sword. Suzu looked down.

"Oh that was me. I'm not a very good singer. Nida tried to help me, but I'm apparently tone deaf when it comes to my own voice. But I'm not that bad, am I?" Suzu looked up at Kouen, his eyes glistening. Kouen stiffened.

"…You aren't that bad." Suzu's eyes widened.

"You really think so? Thank you! As thanks for your kind words, let me treat you to some pancakes!"

"…The hell is a pancake?" A voice from outside the kitchen called. Suzu and Kouen turned to see Judar, cranky and whiny and demanding food.

"Come with me and I'll show you!" Suzu grinned, practically radiating sparkles. He ran back to one of the stoves and flipped the stuff he put in the hot pan. The strange things sizzled a bit longer, and he took them off the pan, placing them into piles. He poured more mix into the hot pan, unaware that he was gaining an audience. The maids, now knowing that the stranger in the kitchen was moderately harmless, flocked around to watch him make these so-called 'pancakes.'

"Oh yeah!" He rushed over to the bacon and eggs, and fish, plating them and setting them down for Momo and Sebastian. "Thanks for your patience. Sorry for the wait!" He rushed back to the stove as the pets began to eat. He plated five pancakes per plate, adding some bacon and eggs to each plate before turning, noticing his audience.

"Oh, hi. Wow, I'm so glad I made extra. Go ahead and dig in, I'll make more if I have to." He was suddenly crowded by the maids, bombarding him with questions about the strange bread he made. Kouen, Koumei, and Judar walked over to the counter where the strange bread was, staring at it strangely.

"You can put the chopped fruit on it if you like." Suzu called from the gaggle of women. He then paused. "OH NO YOU DON'T, YOU SON OF A BITCH! I WILL CUT OFF WHAT'S LEFT OF YOUR DICK IF YOU TOUCH THAT PANCAKE!" He shrieked, pointing in one direction. The company turned to see the black cat with his paw barely an inch away from a plate of pancakes. The cat stared at all of them, his one eye unblinking.

"You're lucky you're cute, cat." Suzu hissed, narrowing his eyes. He turned to everyone else.

"Well, breakfast is getting cold! Go ahead and dig in!" Judar narrowed his eyes.

"What the hell is this stuff supposed to be, huh?" He snarled, catching Momo's attention. Said dog growled lowly, stopping when Suzu knelt down and placed a hand on her head. Suzu stood and turned to Judar with a closed eye smile.

"This stuff is supposed to be delicious!" He opened his eyes, startled when he saw a familiar face staring back at him. Almost like he was looking in a mirror. The pair stared at each other, shocked at what they were seeing. Suzu reached over…

…And grabbed the closest frying pan, holding it like a baseball bat.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" He shrieked, moving to swing the frying pan. Kouen, moving quickly, grabbed his arm before he could.

"Kurotaka, what is the matter?" He questioned, feeling Suzu struggle against his grip.

"Don't you know what happens when you meet your doppelganger?! You have to kill it before it kills you!"

"That's not a doppelganger."

"Huh?"

"You said you are twenty-four?"

"Yeah?"

"Judar is eighteen."

"Oh," Suzu dropped the frying pan. "Okay. Sorry about that." And with that, he went back to showing the maids how to make pancakes. Kouen and Judar looked at each other.

"What's wrong with him? Is he crazy?"

"…Yes, but he is good at what he does."

"And that is…?

"He is the new royal physician."

"He's stupid."

"Not at all." Kouen stared as Suzu walked over and slapped Koumei, who shuddered awake.

"It's not healthy to sleep standing up. You'll just end up more tired. Drink this," Suzu handed Koumei a cup of coffee, which the second prince took gratefully. "This will make you feel like you have your life together."

I'm going to end it here, guys. I'm trying with the Kou adventures, but it's a bit harder to do without really knowing the characters as well as I know the others. This wasn't really how I was planning on Judar and Suzu meeting, but I think it went okay.

Up next, The Adventure Begins! Aladdin and Nida meet Alibaba! And what is that in the distance! What is making that racket?! Find out next time!


	6. In Which Nida Tells a Story

I'm not dead. I had to do my internship over again because SOMEONE DIDN'T TELL ME THAT I WAS DOING THINGS WRONG UNTIL NEAR THE END. Add to that, I kept forgetting to do classwork because of the internship, I was fired job for the same reason I had to redo my internship, and other factors that are stressing me out to the extreme. I'm losing my mind. At the very least, I'm glad I finally graduated.

Anyway, here is the story. Please enjoy.

In Which Nida Tells a Story

AKA

Desert Flowers are lovely- THE FUCK IS THAT THING

/\\\\\

Nida sat in the small caravan, a small smile on her face as she watched Aladdin show the scenery to Ugo. In the caravan with the two were a mother and her child, and a fat, cantankerous rich man. She tugged at the head scarf that came with the outfit Leila and Saasa gave her. She was wearing a light pink and light green shalwar kameez, a long, knee length tunic with matching pants, and a matching pink headscarf. Completing the set was a pair of black flat shoes. Her mattress was securely tied to the roof of the caravan, and Saasa had given her a large brown bag to put everything from the mattress in. She held her book in her lap as she watched her surrogate brother.

"Wow! The city looks so small from here, Ugo-kun!" The mother, who sat next to Aladdin, gave him a smile.

"Are you heading to the neighboring city too, boy?" She asked him as her daughter stared at Aladdin curiously. Aladdin gave her a smile.

"I sure am! I'm travelling with my nee-san!"

"Oh, my! You are taking such a long journey all by yourselves?" After all, it was dangerous for a young woman and a child to travel without a man to protect them.

"But we're not by ourselves, see?" Aladdin held up Ugo's flute to show the woman, who was confused but nodded along, her daughter reaching for the interesting shining object. Nida gave a soft giggle at the sight. An apple core hit the floor in front of her, making her jump.

"HEY! Quit moving around so much, kid!" The fat old man shouted, already munching on another apple. "You're causing the dust to scatter!" Nida gave a light scoff, glaring at the man. It wasn't the kids; it was the other caravans around them that were kicking up the dust. She shuddered in disgust as juice from the apple dripped down his flabby chin and onto his inflated chest and stomach. The man continued to complain.

"Ugh! This place is cramped, and the kids are noisy. Aren't you going to do something about this, driver?!" The young driver of the caravan turned lightly to the man.

The driver was young, younger than Nida, she guessed; probably in his late teens. He was blonde with a really large cowlick on the top of his head. He was cute, in a way, but he seemed to be a real brownnoser.

"My deepest apologies, sir!" Nida scoffed again. Suck up… The young man continued.

"Sure, my rates are cheap, but I always get the job done! Rest assured, I'll get you and your grape wine to the destination safe and sound! Okay?" The man scoffed.

"Damn straight. That wine is worth more than what you'd earn in your miserable little life. HEY! TAKE YOUR LITTLE PAWS OFF MY APPLES!" Nida jumped again and looked up, seeing Aladdin reach for the bright red fruit.

"Those apples are for the boss only!"

"Let me have one?"

"You got money?"

"Nope!"

"Then no touching," The caravan driver sneered. "When you've got a cure for your poverty, we can start talking apples. Right, sir?" The wine merchant gave a mean, hearty laugh.

"You sure get it, don'tcha driver?" Aladdin slunk over to Nida, who rubbed his head and let him lean into her side.

'_I'll make some money when we get into town. Then I'll buy you some apples.' _She promised in her mind. Badr sat in the window of the caravan, observing. The driver, whatshisname, got another small basket of apples for the fatty to munch on. Nida felt Aladdin move away from her, but thought nothing of it as she turned the page of her book. She looked up at the sound of something falling. Apples were rolling on the floor, so she grabbed them before they could bruise too much. She stuffed them in her bag. She looked up again to see Aladdin rubbing the man's… man boobs. Oh geez, here we go.

The driver- she really needed to learn his name- grabbed Aladdin by the back of his little blue vest, set him on the ground, and forced Aladdin to bow in apology.

"I'M SO SORRY, SIR!" The man, furious, began kicking the driver.

"YOU DAMNED BRAT!" Nida, thinking quickly, stood up and held an apple in front of the man.

"He meant nothing by it, sir. He is a curious little boy. Besides, if you continue to beat up the driver, how on earth are we going to meet our destination? Have this apple as an apology, free of charge." She gave him a sweet smile, fluttering her eyelashes, sticking out her chest a little, and inwardly gagging at the look on his face. Her lip twitched as he looked her up and down, but she ignored him.

"Come over here, Aladdin. Let's let the driver get back to work. I'll make some money when we get to the city." The wine merchant gave her a lewd grin.

"Oh? And how are you going to do that?" He asked, his intrusive gaze lingering on her breasts. Nida smiled.

"I have been told I am a wonderful story teller and singer." It wasn't long after that the caravan stopped at an oasis to give the camels a rest. The driver grabbed Aladdin once again.

"You damn brat! Just who do you think that man is, huh? That is the great wine merchant, Budel. You're lucky your sister stopped him last time, but if you try something like that again, she won't be able to stop me from killing you!"

"You wanna bet?" A voice murmured darkly next to his ear, causing the driver to jump in shock, grabbing the back of his neck where Nida had been breathing heavily. He glared at her as she gave him an unimpressed stare in return.

"Hey, Driver! How long is this break gonna take?!" Budel shrieked.

"Look, kid, I get that you're just trying to make a living. It's hard to make ends meet when the only people who really have money are the assholes. Just let me make one thing clear; one day, you're going to have to choose between what is safe and what is right. It's not always the same thing."

Nida turned on her heel and sauntered back toward the caravan, climbing into the driver's seat to check on the mattress tied to the roof. Satisfied at the security of the rope, she plopped cross-legged back next to the window.

The little girl in the caravan grinned.

"Miss, you know stories? Will you tell us a story?!" Her mother tried to shush her, but Nida smiled again.

"It's alright; I know the perfect story. This is the story of The King of Persia and the Princess of the Sea."

Nida continued the story, and the girl was enraptured with awe. The fat man was helped back into the caravan as she regaled the tale, scoffing at its childishness. Aladdin leaned into her side as she told her tale of the king and the beautiful slave girl. Even Alibaba seemed slightly enraptured.

"_Many tears were shed on both sides upon their separation. King Saleh departed first; but the queen his mother, and the princesses his relations, were fain to force themselves in a manner from the embraces of Queen Gulnare, who could not prevail upon herself to let them go. This royal company were no sooner out of sight than the King of Persia said to Queen Gulnare, 'Madam, I should have looked with suspicion upon the person that had pretended to pass those off upon me for true wonders, of which I myself have been an eye-witness from the time I have been honored with your illustrious family at my court. But I cannot refuse to believe my own eyes; and shall remember it as long as I live, and never cease to bless Heaven for sending you to me, instead of to any other prince.'(1)_

"And that is the end of the tale." The caravan driver looked at her from the front.

"You are a pretty good storyteller, lady; But you'll never be as good as the Great Sinbad!" He gushed. Nida looked at him.

"Which one?" She inquired. "And who the hell are you, anyway?" The driver's face hit his knees.

"I'm Alibaba, the driver! I told you when you got on the caravan!"

"Ah. Sorry, I don't remember. I was a bit distracted." And she had been. She was talking to the butterflies to see if they knew where her important painting was. She hadn't seen it since she got to this strange world. Alibaba's eyes were near mutinous.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. Anyway, even you should know what a dungeon is, right?" Nida and Aladdin shared a look as Aladdin hopped into the passenger seat. Alibaba, climbing into the driver's seat, continued.

"Seriously? You two don't know what a dungeon is?"

"If I had one, you'd be the first one in it." Nida growled, irritated. Alibaba shook his head, ignoring Nida's snide remark.

"Not that kind of dungeon. If you don't know this kind of dungeon, you don't know the value of money, either. You see, fourteen years ago, mysterious buildings began appearing all over the world. Inside these buildings are remnants of ancient civilizations. That's what a dungeon is. They're stuffed with treasures; diamond crowns, sapphire thrones, giant golden anything; and mysterious magical items! Flying cloths and jugs overflowing with wine! People all over the world are looking for them! And I, Alibaba, will conquer them all and become the richest man in the world!" He declared, a determined shine in his eye catching Nida's attention.

"Oh, that's all?" Aladdin asked, smiling. He still didn't quite get it, and Nida was always telling him that money isn't as important as companionship. Alibaba glowered.

"'That's all', he says. Listen, kid; if you have money, you can have whatever you want! A house, livestock, servants! Time to eat, sleep, and play! You're free to do whatever you want! Free to say anything. The rich have a carefree life filled with love and hope. They have the power to look down on anyone." Nida cringed as Aladdin started picking his nose. That's such a disgusting habit. Alibaba glowered once again.

"Listen, you little…" He trailed off as Nida shot him an icy look. "...angelic child, the rich can eat delicious food." This caught Aladdin's attention as he quickly pulled his finger away from his face.

"Really?! Tasty food?!" Aladdin's eyes began to shine with interest. Alibaba, glad the kid was finally getting the point, continued.

"That's right. They get all the pretty women, too!"

"Hooray! Pretty girls!"

"Yep, pretty girls. Men with money are popular. Girls with big, soft boobs will flock to you and say, 'Take me Alibaba, I'm yours! I love you, Alibaba! Ravish me!" Throughout Alibaba's dreaming, Aladdin was imagining being surrounded by beautiful, big breasted babes. He was a blushing, giggly, gooey mess.

"Ravish? Like how?" Nida choked. Oh god, no. She pulled out her phone and turned away from everyone else and sent a text.

/MEANWHILE, IN THE KOU PALACE/

Suzu was walking along the palace grounds, looking for herbs for salves and potions. Momo was sniffing around ahead for suspicious figures. Finding none, she barked in confirmation. Suzu looked around the base of a large, stone wall and found a large Astrogalus bush.

Astrogalus, under the scientific term of Radix Astragali Membranacei, and more commonly known as Huang Qui, is a medicinal herb commonly used in cancer treatments for patients who are done with chemotherapy, but it is also a good muscle relaxer, as well as an organ, uterine, and anal prolapse medicine.

Suzu, surprised to see such a plant near a royal garden, reached out to grab a few leaves when he felt his phone buzz while a song began to play.

'_MEME MACHINE_

_MEME MACHINE_

_I'M A MOTHA-BLEEPIN MEME MACHINE_

_MEME MACHINE_

_MEME MACHINE_

_WITHOUT MEMES I WILL DIE'_

Suzu sweat dropped. He needed to remember to change that ring tone… He pressed on the screen to read the text from Nida;

"_How does one explain sex to a ten-year-old?" _ Suzu choked on his own saliva. He typed his reply.

"_I'd normally have them sit down and watch and educational video, but there is a significant lack of that kind of technology. Ergo, use what you have on hand. For example; bananas, tomato slices, and patience." _

/Back with Nida and Al/

Nida shook her head, deciding to wait until she could introduce Aladdin to Suzu to explain the birds and the bees. Meanwhile, Alibaba had awkwardly taken to trying to explain his comment to Aladdin, who asked what he had meant.

"You go in like so…"

"Go in? Like so?" Suddenly, laughter erupted from behind the three travelers. The mother of the little girl smiled at them.

"You guys are funny," she giggled, her daughter looking at them excitedly. "My daughter loves hearing stories about dungeons." She shifted her hold on the little girl.

"Have you been to a dungeon, Mister?" She asked Alibaba innocently, her eyes wide and curious. Her mother tried to shush her again.

"Not now dear, he's working. You can ask later." Alibaba gave the mother-daughter pair a fond look. He looked like he was going to say something to Nida when he heard a scoff and laugh.

"The poor have such basic dreams," Budel sniggered, sloppily chewing another apple with his mouth open. Nida felt like punching him. "Digging around in the desert and looking for dungeons is a job for rats. Right, Driver?"

"Um, right."

"Don't dream above yourselves. Rats are born rats, and their whole lives are worth nothing but trash." Nida made to stand, when she felt Badr next to her.

"_**He isn't worth your effort, Little One. Allow nature to take its course. We will take care of him."**_ Nida gave a slight nod of acknowledgement. Budel gave Alibaba a condescending look.

"Am I wrong?" Alibaba looked up and gave him a bright smile.

"No, sir, you are as right as ever! All people like us have is dreams. But it's a rat's sad plight to keep toiling!" Budel laughed at Alibaba's comment, not noticing how the blonde driver's hands tightened around the reigns. Aladdin noticed, he wasn't the only one.

Badr fluttered and landed on Nida's shoulder.

"_**Little one, this boy…"**_ He trailed off, looking at her. She glanced at him.

"_I know." _She replied. _He doesn't really feel that way; he's a good actor._

With all the commotion going on in the caravan, no one notices the tentacles creeping up toward the other carts until it was too late. The cart tipped over, and Nida instinctively grabbed Aladdin into her chest to protect him.

"What the hell was that?!" Someone shouted. Everyone looked out to see an enormous hole with an even bigger flower inside it. From that mildly innocent-looking flower, a bunch of menacing tentacles wiggled madly, trying to get a hold of something else. Nida tightened her grip on Aladdin.

"What is that thing?" The mother shrieked, terrified. Alibaba cursed.

"It's a Desert Hyacinth. It's a carnivorous plant! Don't let it catch you or it will eat you! Ditch the carts and run!" The other workers scrambled to upright the carts, panicking. Nida jumped out to help the others. She grabbed her Louisville slugger and beat away as many tentacles as she could.

"Dammit, it's like a Japanese HENTAI over here!" She shrieked, cringing in disgust at the slimy Budel screeched at Alibaba, who was preparing to leave.

"Hey, save my wine!" He bellowed, grabbing a few barrels himself. Alibaba began to grab as many barrels as he could carry. He wasn't about to let his livelihood get eaten! Everything was going relatively smoothly for a weird monster attack, when suddenly Budel, who was scrambling to grab more barrels, bumped into the little girl, and sent her and a barrel careening into the Desert Hyacinth's crater. Alibaba lunged to catch her, but Budel was faster. He reached out, bumping Alibaba away with his flab…

And caught the wine. The little girl fell into the deadly flower's center, disappearing from sight. Her mother fell to the ground in shock, tears flowing wildly. Budel wiped sweat off of his forehead.

"Whew, all safe." He sighed. The fat man turned to everyone else. "Well? What are you waiting for?! Get the cart!" Alibaba froze.

_Someone save her._

"This is our chance! It can't move while it's eating!"

_She'll die!_

"And it'll finish that little morsel in no time!"

_Someone..!_

"Get my wine out of here! Fast!"

_Someone… Someone..!_

Budel shoved Alibaba in the back.

"Hurry up and grab the wine!" He cried. "Since you're such a hard worker, I'll pay you extra. Double, maybe even triple, what do you say?" Alibaba began to shake. Nida abandoned her previous task of beating up tentacles and began stalking toward the fat pig of a man. He put a hand on the woman's shoulder as she lay on the ground, still reaching for her daughter, horror and shock still etched upon her face.

"Aw, don't cry, woman!" he simpered. "If that kid meant so much to you, how about you make another one with me?" Nida saw red, but before she could do anything, Alibaba beat her to the punch. Quite literally, too, as Budel flew toward the remaining wine barrels, his squishy face swelling from the left hook.

_Not someone; ME._

"Your nasty wine can't replace someone's life, You Asshole!" Alibaba growled, grabbing a barrel of wine and leaping into the crater. Nida had been smiling and nodding with approval at Alibaba's actions, but her eyes went wide when he jumped.

"Dammit, Ali-Bozo!" She shrieked. She whipped her head toward Aladdin. "Al, what are we going to do?" Aladdin had pulled Ugo's flute out and was blowing madly. He turned to Nida with wide, panicked eyes.

"Nida-nee, Ugo's filled with sand! I can't call him out!" Nida, who was experienced with instruments, grabbed it from him.

"I'll get the sand out in a minute," She promised. "Right now, we need a new plan. Alibaba took wine down there. Hey, you!" One of the workers started at Nida's shout. "What's that flower-child's reaction to alcohol?" The man stared at her for a minute. Alibaba had gotten the girl to safety, but one of the tentacles dragged him back down. Nida shook with fury. "WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR LOLLYGAGGING, SON! HOW DOES THAT CTHULHU-TENTACLE-MONSTER REACT TO THE LIQUID SIN!" The man shook his head.

"The Desert Hyacinth is susceptible to alcohol. When it gets drunk enough, it goes back underground." That was all the pair needed to hear. Aladdin whipped off of his turban, and Nida collected as many barrels as she could fit in her arms. She piled as many of the barrels onto the cloth as could fit.

The cloth, with Aladdin, Nida, and the barrels, raised high into the air. Aladdin's hair, undone from its braid, whipped around in the air. Nida spat as one of Aladdin's stray azure locks flew into her mouth. Aladdin smiled.

"You lied to me, Mister," He grinned. "There are some things you can't buy with money!" Everyone stared in shock at the flying carpet. Nida grinned. Budel shrieked.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY WINE?! Don't you dare, you'll regret it! That's expensive wine! It's a hundred times more valuable than that driver! Think about it! Which is more important? That scruffy boy or my WINE?!" Everyone thought about it, staring at Budel in shock, anger, and disgust when they came to their instant conclusion. Nida scoffed in disgust, staring down her nose at the pig-like man.

"Can you make more wine? Of course you can. You simply have to grow more grapes. Can you make another Alibaba? You can't. A single person; their personality, appearance, and everything else that makes that person who they are, cannot be replaced. It is not possible. Maybe you should start thinking about value not in the way of the coin, but in the way of the heart! Let's do it, Aladdin!" Aladdin grinned.

"NO PLEASE I'M BEGGING YOU!" In tandem, Nida and Aladdin pointed down, and the barrels of wine fell into the mouth of the creature. Budel fainted in shock as the caravan's people stared at him, not bothering to help him.

/Later/

Everyone was safe after the Desert Hyacinth took in all that wine. The caravan's people gathered around Alibaba, with Nida and Aladdin behind him, fiddling with Ugo's flute.

"Thank you, for saving my daughter." The woman bowed.

"And our caravan, as well. We will help you pay for that wine." Alibaba shook his head.

"Nah, I knew what I was getting into when I punched him. I'll just have to work harder to pay it back." He turned and gave a dejected sigh. Nida gently grabbed the flute and looked through the bottom.

"Here's the problem, Al! It's sand and saliva mixed together. Let me…" She grabbed her handkerchief and twisted the corner, stuffing it up the flute. Alibaba stared.

"What are you two doing?" He sniffled, trying to think about how he would pay back what he owed. Nida gave the okay to try again, and Aladdin answered.

"He won't come out." Alibaba blinked.

"Come out? Who?" Aladdin smiled.

"OH, he's coming out! Thank you, Nida-nee!" Nida smiled back.

"No problem. He probably wasn't comfortable with all that sand in there, anyway!"

"Yay! Ugo came out!" A large pair of blue arms extended from the bottom of the flute. The onlookers stared in shock. Nida stared at them.

"Are they gonna scream yet?" Chaos erupted.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"


End file.
